Automatic self-closing fire-door.



No. 698,540.. Y Patented Aprfz, |902.

s. M.. mccLAlN. `AUTOMATIC SELF CLOSING FIRE DUUR.

(Application mea Apr.' 5, 1901,; (No Model.) I

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t the drawings,A represents generallythe shaft,

UNITED STATES ATENTT 'y GEORGE MORTON MooLAIN, OF Naw-YORK, N.

Y AUTQNIATIC SELF-CLOSING FIRE-DOOR.

` SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,540, dated Apr129, 1 902.

Appiicanon tied Apiii 5, 1901.

To ctZZ whomlit zrty concern:

` Be it known that I, GEORGE MORTON'MC- CLAIN, a citizen ofthe United States of America, residing at158 Hamilton Place, in the borough of Manhattan,-city, county, and State of New York, haveinvented a new and use-` ful Improvement in Automatic Self-Closing Fire Doors or Sashes, of which the following is a specication. p m

This invention relates to automatic selfclosing fire doors orsashes, and has for its object to provide means whereby such doors or sashes may be automatically closed by heat generated by a lire in the` neighborhood of such doors or sashes,andthereby prevent such Iire from spreadingthrough the openings.

A further object of the invention is toprovide means on eachjfloor of thebuildingby which lthe entire series of doors or sashes may be simultaneouslyclosed by hand.

A further object of the invention is to provide means near eachdooror sash by which such doors or sashes may be separately closed when desired.

This invention comprises generally a series of catches adapted to Vhold the doors or sashes normally open and connected with means for manually releasing each catch and with separate distinct means `for releasing-all ot said catches simultaneously, the said latter means being provided with heat-operated parts and also with manually-operated parts.

One forni of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a series of openings, such` as those in a dumb-waiter shaft of a building, the-front. being `broken away. Fig; 2isa similar view of'one of said openings with the door or' sash closed by the destruction by heat of the fusible device. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the shaft above the highest of said openings. Fig. 4 is a detail View of an expansion-bolt, and Fig. 5 is a detail viewshowing a bell crank lever.

In the form of invention which is shown in B the space generally occupied by the openings for the shaitdoors, and C the'lre door or sash, which is shown as a single sliding door. Suitable channel-irons2, shown as rectangular in cross-section, are secured, as by `ing B of the dames.

Serial No. 54,516. (No model.)

expansion-bolts,to the inside walls of the shaft `Aalongside the openings B. Extending across nel-irons 2 and are suiiiciently large to Overlap the opening 'B on all sides when closed, so as to prevent the escape through said open- Attached to the doors C are wires 5 or other suitable ireproof connections, which pass overpulleys o', secured on the cross-piece 3, and "have weights 7 on theirother end slightlylghter than the doors C. .At suitable points on the cross-pieces 3 are pivoted gravity-latches 8,' which normally i engage studs 9 on thedoors C. `Wires 10 or other suitable ireproo connections are secured at one end'of. the `latches 8 and are carried by suitable means, shownfas pulleys 11, attached to said cross-pieces 3, to con- Venient point-s, where theinotherA ends are secured to the upper arms oftbell-crank` levers l2, secured on the inside walls of the shaft A, the other arms of the bell-crank levers 12 `being connected to'handpul'ls 13, mounted conveniently near the opening Bion the out-A side. The wires 10 may have inserted rods 14, provided with eyes -2l at the ends. Rods` 15, provided at each end with an eye 16, pass through the eyes 4, alongside each opening B, and said rods 15 are flexibly connected together, as Y by chains 17 or other reprooi' means. The rods 15 have eyes 20, through which the separate releasing connections of each latch 8, here shown as rods 14, pass, said eyes 2O engaging projections on such connections, as lthe eyes 2l at the lower ends of the rods 14, so that the fall of the rods elzdisengages the latches 8. The rods are supported Aby a `,catch 15', connected to the topmost rod, asat 22, and secured to one `endof a continul ous wire 23,which is carried by suitable means, shown as pulleys 24, mountedon Athe cross pieces 3 at the heads ofthe openings B, across the head of each opening B, and is protected IOO by such cross-pieces 3, and below the lowest of the openings,` B passes through and is secured to the eye 25 of a weight 26, and is then carried by suitable means, shown as pulleys near the opening B, is a hand-pull 30, connected to one arm of a bell-crank lever mount- Aed in the shaft A and having its other arm connected to the wire 23. The wire 23 has in its horizontal portions crossing the openings B one or more fusible links 8l.

It is evident that the invention may be applied equally well to doors or 'sashes in which the lowering of the upper half raises the lower to meet it, or the two halves swing laterally or longitudinally, .and it is not therefore coniined to any mode of closing the door or sash except that it be self-closing.

The operation of the invention is as follows: Vhen it isv desired to separately close any one of the openings B, the corresponding handpull 13 is operated, which through the bellcrank lever 12, wire 10, rod 14, pulley 11, and latch S releases the door C, which closes by its own weight. In case it is desired to close all the doors simultaneously the hand-pull 29 on the lower fioor or one of the hand-pulls 30 on one of the other iioors is operated, and thereby weight 26 is raised, the rods 15 are permitted to fall, and the eyes 2O on such rods 15,-engaging the eyes 2l at the lower ends of the rods 14, release the latches 8 in the same manner as if the hand-pull 13 was used, and thedoors C throughout the series are closed; but in case of an emergency, as a fire, as soon as the heat in anyone of the openings becomes suflicient to fuse the link 3l the rods 15 are lowered, and, as explained above, release the latches 8 and the whole series ofdoors C are closed. For returningA the rods 15 to their normal position after they have fallen andreleased the catches some suitable means may be employed, such as a wire 18, secured in the upper eye of the topmost rod 15, which wire is carried by suitable means, here shown as pulleys 19, mounted on the wall of the shaft A, to any convenient point for manual operation.

I claim- 1. In combination with a door adapted when released to close automatically a latch adapted to secure the door and normally hold it open; a hand-pull; a connection between the latch and the hand-pull for releasing the door; a projection upon this connection; and a sliding heat-operated member having a projection cooperating with the projection on the connection and adapted to engage and operate said releasing connection.

2. In combination with an opening into a shaft and a self-closing door therein; a gravity-latch for normally holding the door open; a pulley mounted convenient to said opening; a reproof cord secured to said latch andk extending over said pulley; a projection on said cord; a bell-crank lever having one arm secured to the other end 0f said cord and mounted in said shaft; a hand-pull secured to the other arm of said bell-crank lever and conveniently located outside said shaft; and heat-operated means having an eye traversed by said cord and adapted to engage the projection thereon to operate the latch.

3. A series of self-closing doors; gravitylatches for normally holding said doors open; tireproof hand-operated means for releasing each latch separately; and heat operated means for operating said latches through their respective hand releasing means.

4. A series of doors; gravity-latches for normally holding said doors open; hand-operated means for releasing each latch separately; and compound hand and heat operated means for operating all the latches simultaneously through the individual hand releasing means.

5. The combination with a series of doors, one above the other and adapted when released to close automatically, releasing means for each door; hand-operated means for operating said means; and heat-operated means for operating all of thevdoors simultaneously through the hand-operated releasing means.

6. A series of selt'closing doors; gravitylatches for normally holding said doors open; pulleys mounted at points convenient to the openings for said doors; a lireproof cord attached to each of said latches and extending over one of said pulleys and to a suitable point; a bell-crank lever suitably mounted near said point and having one arm attached to said cord; ahand-pull secured to the other arm of said bell-crank lever and located within the building; and heat-operated means operative upon said cords.

7. A series of self-closing doors; automatic gravity -latches for ynormally holding said doors open; pulleys mounted near said openings; a reproof cord attached to each of said latches and extending over one of said pulleys; a hand-pull secured to the free end of each of said cords, a sliding member extending alongside said openings from the upper to the lower of said openings, said member provided with eyes adapted when said member is lowered to engage protuberances on said cords; and a wire having a Weight at one end and extending horizontally across said openings and having its upper end connected to said sliding member and adapted normally to hold said sliding member in its highest position, said wire having fusible links in its horizontal portions.

8. A series of self-closing doors; automatic gravity-latches for normally holding said doors open; pulleys mounted near said openings; a tireproof cord attached to each of said latches and extending over one of said pulleys; a hand-pull secured to each cord; a iireproof cord secured to each door and extending over another of said pulleys and hav- IOC IIO

l ing its end secured to a counterweight; a sliding member extending alongside said open-` ings from the upper to thelower end thereof, said member provided With eyes adapted when said member is lowered to engage the hand-pull cords; `and-a Wire having. a weight at one end and extending horizontally across said openings and having its upper end connected to said sliding member and adaptedA to hold said sliding member in its highest position, said Wire having fusible links in its horizontal portions.` A

9. The combination with a shaft, of Ways alongside the openings into said shaft; doors sliding in said ways and effective to close by their own gravity; means for 'normally holding each of said doors open; hand-operated means for separately releasing each of said holding means; and heat-operated meansfor simultaneously operating all of said releasing means.

l0. The combination With a shaft, of Ways alongside the openings 1in said shaft; doors sliding in said ways; means for normally holding said doors open; hand-operated means for releasing eaeh'of said holding means; heatoperated m eans for simultaneouslyactuating all said hand releasing means; andhand-op# erated" means for actuating leasing means. i i i ll. The combination with a shaft, of fireproof Waysalongside said openings into said said general reshaft; fireproof doorssliding in said `ways and adapted when closed to overlap the sides of said openings;ifireproof means for normally holding said doors open; hand-operated fire` proof means for separately releasin g each of said holding means; "heat-operated means for operating all of said holding means at once through said hand-operated releasing means;

and hand-operated means operative upon said heat-'operated means. p 12. The `combination with a shaft, of lireproofvways alongside the openings into said shaft; fireproof doors sliding in said Ways;

iireproof means fornormally holding said doors open ;separate hand-operated means for releasing each of said holding means; and fusible means for operating all of said holding means at once through said releasing means. y

13. The combination with a shaft having openings; of fireproof ways alongside the openin gs into said shaft; fireproof doors sliding in said Ways and adapted When closed to overlap the sides of said openings; reproof `latch-supporting means near said doors; re-

proof gravity-latches, pivoted to said supporting means above said doors, for normally holding'said doors open; a hand-pull inside the building forreleasin g each of said latches; fre'proof connections between each of said latches and its respective hand-pull; andinfusible connections for operating `all of the latches through the hand-pull connections `6 thereto simultaneously incase of fire.

14. The combination, with a light, air or hoist shaft having openings thereinto, of reproof Ways located inside the shaft alongside the openings; reproof doors sliding in the Ways and adapted to overlap the openings on allsides when closed; cross-pieces connecting the top andbottom of the Ways on opposite members being connectedtogether; and heat-` operatedmeans for loweringfsaid` sliding members. i

\ l5. In combination with a-sliding door,N

adapted when releasedto shift automatically; i means adapted to secure said door in its normal position; manually-operative means for releasing said securing means to permit-.the 9o door to shift; and means embodying a--plusaid releasing means-through the actuation of any oneof said devices. i

'16. The combination with a series of doors adapted When released to close automatically;

rality of heat-actuated devices for operating releasing means for each door; `hand-operated means for operating said meansg-and heatoperated means for operating all of Athe doors simultaneously through the -hand operated releasing means. y i i In testimony whereof LGEORGE MORTON MCCLAIN, have signed my name toithisspecification, in thepresence of` two `subscribing -Witnesses, this 3d day of April, 1901.

GEORGE MORTON MoCLAlN."

Witnesses: y

JOHN KURSTEINER, E. EDNA SCHAFFNER. i 

